


A Rough Diamond

by Bluewolf458



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Challenge: Sentinel Thursday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-15
Updated: 2016-02-15
Packaged: 2018-05-20 19:59:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6022879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluewolf458/pseuds/Bluewolf458
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Blair considers aspects of his life</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Rough Diamond

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Sentiel Thursday prompt 'rough'

A Rough Diamond

by Bluewolf

Blair was used to taking the rough with the smooth, though sometimes he thought he'd be better sleeping rough than living with Jim; there were times when the sentinel seemed to enjoy riding roughshod over his guide's feelings.

Even when he'd got in with a rough crowd in his early teens, the rough and tumble of their life hadn't affected him quite as badly as when Jim gave him the rough side of his tongue. One of the gang - what was his name again? Oh yes, Leroy - was a real rough diamond who kept the others from bullying Blair too much. Blair had been happy when Naomi moved on - apart from Leroy, he hadn't really liked his acquaintances at that particular Naomi-stop, but it had been them or utter aloneness - and had been careful with whom he associated thereafter, deciding that being alone was better than being bullied by his so-called 'friends'... But nobody seemed interested in defending him from Jim's too frequent impatience.

'So-called friend'? Sometimes he thought that with a friend like Jim, he didn't need enemies! Yet he called Jim his _best_ friend; his 'Blessed Protector'.

Now he sat in his room roughing out his lectures for the coming year. At this stage the wording was pretty rough and ready, but at least he was putting down roughly what he intended to cover each week. He would polish each lecture nearer the time it was needed. It would have been more comfortable sitting in the living room, but Jim was in a bad mood and one of his glares at Blair's books and notebook had driven the student into his room immediately after dinner. Discretion was sometimes the better part of valor...

Certainly Jim had had a rough day; his pursuit of a robber who had made a run for it as soon as he realized Jim was a cop had taken him over some extremely rough ground. He had fallen twice, cutting his right hand and arm badly both times, but he had finally caught the robber, who had also fallen, breaking a leg. He had at least told Blair that much - Blair had been horrified at the sight of the roughly-applied bandaging and offered to redo it, but Jim, who had doctored himself before Blair got home from Rainier, refused.

Blair's rough guess was that Jim's mood would have been better if Blair had beaten him home and been there to do the doctoring. It wasn't his fault that he had arrived home at his usual from-Rainier time while Jim had come home early and decided to apply first aid by himself. But fastening bandages left-handed wasn't the easiest thing for a right-handed person to manage...

Blair sighed, put away his books and papers and went back to the living room. He joined Jim on the couch.

"Finished," he said, determinedly cheerful. "Just a rough outline so far, but that's all I need at this stage. How does your arm feel now?"

Jim was silent for a moment, then said, "Sorry I was so bad-tempered earlier. Is your offer to redo the bandages still good? Because I think... I think my arm would feel better properly bandaged, not with this rough make-shift I put on it."

Blair smiled, got up and went to fetch the first aid box.

It was at times like these - when Jim helped him, or asked for his help, that he understood Jim was in many ways another Leroy; ashamed of his 'softer' side, but in truth a genuine diamond in the rough.

**Author's Note:**

> I just couldn't resist trying to include the prompt word as often as possible...


End file.
